Here’s the list as I see it now:
1) Don’t get so run down. I looked at pictures from 2009, and I could see both Jen and I wearing down from travel, work, and the set of unfinished projects with which we both burdened ourselves.
2) Related to 1: Fight the ADHD harder. Key point: I don’t think that I have ADHD or any other mental illness. Like my mother before me, I’m a functionalist when it comes to such things. If you’re a high functioning and basically happy person – you don’t have mental illness. I do, however, have certain properties of my brain. Some (sharp memory) make it simpler to get stuff done. Others (tendency to context switch near continually) hold me back. Thus, I now have a little stopwatch on my desk. When I embark on tasks that will take more than 5 minutes or so – I intend to set the timer for some reasonable interval: 15 minutes? Half an hour? During that time, I intend to stay on task. Yes, facebook, I’m talking to you. Double for you, twitter. Conversely, facebook and twitter are allowed – but they have their own time limits.
3) I intend to train up for at least one judo competition season this year. Don’t know when it will be, but I plan to do my month of clean living again prior to that.
4) I also intend to take two months and train up for a belt test at the karate school in Providence. I’ve been in a holding pattern there for two years. Less than one lesson a week is insufficient for advancement. I would like to earn my third degree – but it’ll probably take a couple months of two to three classes per week – plus training on the off days as well. I can’t do that all year – but I can commit to a couple of months.
5) Related to 2: Eliminate the passive accumulation of stuff that I don’t feel like doing. I let a few projects get the best of me in 2009. They lingered until I would wake up stressed about them – but not do anything about it. This year, I intend to either do, or do not. INBOX zero, every day. Desk zero too – dammit. Yes, I’m talking to you, pile of papers from the house in Detroit.
6) Be a better friend: I had a few, very deep friendships in 2009. I got much closer with and capital_l. Also with my sister. On the other hand, many friends have slipped off the radar. I would like to take time to re-connect with you. This does not mean that I can say ‘yes’ to every party invite … but I would like to not look at my contacts list and go ‘poo – I’m a terrible friend.’
7) Work for myself, at least an hour, most days. I took great joy from starting my iPhone app last week. I think that if I’m disciplined about the above (2 and 5 in particular), I should be able to set a timer and work for myself. I will, naturally, need to be a bit focused about what I work on – but starting with the iphone app and proceeding to other things might work nicely.
8) Indulge my other hobbies, at least once per week. Painting, brewing, food preservation. In particular that last one – I would like to get back to having a well stocked, home preserved pantry by the fall of 2010.
9) Knock the business out of the park. I think that this is the year for a massive home run at my company. We’re strong, rested, and have potential oozing out our ears. There is no reason not to make this the greatest year ever.
